Luis Gomez wrote:Hi guys, I would like to know how many international students are there at the law school? and if many of them are enrolled on the J.D. program?

Thanks.

While they are not prolific, there are more than I would have first expected. I would say there are at least 7 or 8 students in my 100 student section that qualify as "international" students in the sense that they are from different a different country; I am not sure how many of those people actually did their undergrad abroad, however.

I don't know of anyone studying at the law school who is not enrolled in the J.D. program.

I'd like to work in Atlanta or one of the Florida (larger non-Miami markets: Tampa (preferably)/Orlando/Jacksonville) markets after law school. I also understand that UF is able to place in Atlanta, assuming I am top 25-ish% of my class, and that UF dominates the larger Florida markets. But knowing that UF is $15k (I'm in-state) versus approx $40k at the well-regarded southeastern law schools (Emory, Vandy, Duke, UVA), would any of you be willing to pay sticker at Emory, Vandy, Duke or UVA over sticker at UF if you were in my shoes? And if not, what amount of scholly money would you require to attend each of the above non-FL schools?

On a side note, I'm trying to figure out how much having a CPA and 1-year of work experience at a Big 4 will help me land a biglaw (or mid-law job, in the case of the non-Miami Florida legal markets) gig doing corp, M&A, tax or bankruptcy/restructuring? Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

holeinone600 wrote:I'd like to work in Atlanta or one of the Florida (larger non-Miami markets: Tampa (preferably)/Orlando/Jacksonville) markets after law school. I also understand that UF is able to place in Atlanta, assuming I am top 25-ish% of my class, and that UF dominates the larger Florida markets. But knowing that UF is $15k (I'm in-state) versus approx $40k at the well-regarded southeastern law schools (Emory, Vandy, Duke, UVA), would any of you be willing to pay sticker at Emory, Vandy, Duke or UVA over sticker at UF if you were in my shoes? And if not, what amount of scholly money would you require to attend each of the above non-FL schools?

On a side note, I'm trying to figure out how much having a CPA and 1-year of work experience at a Big 4 will help me land a biglaw (or mid-law job, in the case of the non-Miami Florida legal markets) gig doing corp, M&A, tax or bankruptcy/restructuring? Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

First of all, it is inadvisable to hypothetically assume you'll place in the top 25% of your class; certainly there may be factors weighing in your favor, however, due to the arbitrary nature of law school grading and the general difficulty of the subject matter, it is naive to presume that you will perform so well. It is more prudent to assume that you will land around median, although, there are subjective considerations that one should take into account (such as the relative intelligence of the student body). That being said, the common maxim of TLS is to attend the highest ranked school you are admitted to, because, there is a statistically better chance that you will obtain gainful employment regardless of where you end up ranking among your classmates.

In regards to obtaining employment in Atlanta out of UF, I would not count on being able to do this; while UF does have a contingency of graduates employed in Atlanta, these are typically people who had connections to the city or had phenomenal grades coming out of school. If you plan on attending UF, I would plan on working in a Florida market; of course, if you actually do well at Levin, it can open doors to other states, including Georgia.

As far as the other options you've listed, I'll say this: I, personally, would not pay full tuition at Emory over UF, especially in this economy. It promises slightly better job prospects, to be sure, however, I don't think that marginal percentage increase justifies an additional 75K dollars in debt. I suppose if Emory offered me a good amount of money I would attend, however, I have an extremely low COL here in Gainesville and I am going into very minimal debt, so, I suppose it would hinge on a number of circumstances. I would almost definitely pay full tuition at UVA, Duke and Vandy I would have to do more research on, since I didn't really consider either of these schools when I was applying.

As for your work experience, the BigLaw firms this year were more keen on hiring people with substantive work experience than in years past, due to the state of the economy and legal hiring in general; however, I don't believe that having solid work experience compensates for poor performance in law school or, for that matter, for attending a less reputable school.

In regards to firm salaries out of UF, what is considered "market" compensation in the FL (non-miami) markets vs. those in Atlanta and Charlotte? From what I've researched, Atlanta and Charlotte do have several biglaw firms while the non-miami Florida cities do not.

Additionally, and this is somewhat off topic, how long do clerkships usually last and what do people traditionally do after clerkships?

I would say it is relatively more difficult, although, if you have numbers roughly at or above the medians (3.67, 161 respectively, I believe) you shouldn't have any issue.

Ideology is a relatively broad term when not premised with modifier such as "philosophical," "political" or "religious," however, if you are just speaking generally, I suppose that they are. I think that there are a well balanced number of conservatives and liberals, and this fact is reflected in many class discussions that hinge on policy issues (i.e. personal autonomy vs. social benefit and the like). As I mentioned before, a diverse array of cultures are reflected in the constitution of the class and there are many religious preferences consisting therein. Also, I have noticed that a large portion of the student body is married, or, larger than I would have expected I suppose. I don't personally have any idea of the numbers of, say, democrats vs. republicans or Methodists vs. Muslims, since that sort of thing doesn't really come up too often in casual discussion. I would say that, in general, the liberal ideology tends to dominate in terms of professors, however, it is difficult to ascertain the political views of law professors, who by nature are willing to and competent at discussing both sides of an issue. If you have any more specific questions I am can try to answer them.

That's pretty much what I was wondering, thanks! I'm thinking about maybe living in FL for a year before school since I have family there, then I can get in-state tuition and have an easier time getting in.

Even though it was asked before, how hard would it be to get a solid job in Miami?

Thanks for answering my previous question. I would also like to know if it is likely someone with a 166 LSAT score and a 3.9 UGPA (LSDAS equivalent) receives a scholarship of $3000? This, since a $500 per semester award would allow me to pay instate tuition. Do you know if my chances for such a grant, will be hurt by my status as an international student?Thanks again.

Luis Gomez wrote:Thanks for answering my previous question. I would also like to know if it is likely someone with a 166 LSAT score and a 3.9 UGPA (LSDAS equivalent) receives a scholarship of $3000? This, since a $500 per semester award would allow me to pay instate tuition. Do you know if my chances for such a grant, will be hurt by my status as an international student?Thanks again.

I personally know of someone with lower numbers than those who get a full tuition scholarship for in-state tuition. Those numbers are well above the 75 percentile for UF, so I'm sure you will be able to get a nice scholarship.

I'm guessing that your status as an international student would some what affect your chances of scholarship, but this is pure speculation from my part. Your numbers are high enough to off-set any negative effects of you being an international student.

I went to UF for awhile during UG and I remember the law school was very good. I had some fraternity brothers (Pi Kappa Alpha) who were in law schhol at various stages. Back then (30+ years ago) you didn't see many non-trads, I've heard that Florida is Non-trad friendly. What has is your opinion? BTW the Pikes got their charter yanked and thrown off campus again. I seems as though we insist on being poster children for bad behavior. C'est la vie ! I ask this because I'm going to be starting the process an UF is one of the schools I'm considering. Also, I heat 1L is wretched.

xanderdellus wrote:From speaking to your classmates, how does UF admissions view splitters (High LSAT/Low GPA)? Is there a bottom cut-off?

While I am not certain if there is a bottom cut off, I know of a few people who were admitted with GPAs in the low 3 region with LSATs at or near the 75th percentile; I don't know of anyone with a GPA below that, but I imagine that you could overcome almost any GPA with a high LSAT score. Of course, the median GPA this year did increase, so, I don't know how often UF actually takes splitters; I would expect that in order to be admitted, one would have to overcome an initial wait list.

texaslawyer wrote:Back then (30+ years ago) you didn't see many non-trads, I've heard that Florida is Non-trad friendly. What has is your opinion?

UF is very non-trad friendly in my opinion; there are many non traditional students in my section and others. In fact, the oldest student in our class is 59. Gainesville is a decent place to live and there are enough types of housing in the immediate vicinity of the school to satisfy the various needs of nontraditional applicants.

AJaKe wrote:4. What is your "feel" for the school?Hrm, generally positive. All of the teachers I've had so far are amazing, my section got blessed with some great professors. I enjoy my classes, they are usually interesting and engaging. I actually like our Exam Bank, all the professor's old exams that they put on course reserve are online through the library's website. Getting through the hoops to get there is a bit tricky, but once you've done it a few times it is pretty easy to get what you need. The only problem is when you have a new professor with no old exams, then you've got to hope for the best or beg the professor to give you some questions. On that note, one of our professors who is new is almost going above and beyond. She gave us a full question and is having an extra optional class to just go over that essay question. She could have done nothing at all, but I think she really wants us to understand how to write an essay for her class. Another professor goes over old exams questions once a week.

AJaKe wrote:4. What is your "feel" for the school?Hrm, generally positive. All of the teachers I've had so far are amazing, my section got blessed with some great professors. I enjoy my classes, they are usually interesting and engaging. I actually like our Exam Bank, all the professor's old exams that they put on course reserve are online through the library's website. Getting through the hoops to get there is a bit tricky, but once you've done it a few times it is pretty easy to get what you need. The only problem is when you have a new professor with no old exams, then you've got to hope for the best or beg the professor to give you some questions. On that note, one of our professors who is new is almost going above and beyond. She gave us a full question and is having an extra optional class to just go over that essay question. She could have done nothing at all, but I think she really wants us to understand how to write an essay for her class. Another professor goes over old exams questions once a week.

We're definately in the same section.

I've seen others around here as well, our section is very present on TLS lol

1. What kind of law do you want to practice? 2. How is Gville in terms of jobs? I'd be going to LS while the SO works full-time3. How are the facilities? Classrooms, mock courtrooms, gym, restaurants near/on campus, etc. 4. Are there good clinics/clinical opportunities? 5. Compare it to other Florida schools (FSU, UM, Stetson, etc.) in terms of education and job outlook

As a Florida resident, something I think a lot of out of states might not consider, is that an 80k per year job in any city in Florida, even Miami, will yield a higher standard of living than a 140k job in NYC, Boston, or LA. The dollar goes a lot farther in the Sunshine state.

Cupidity wrote:As a Florida resident, something I think a lot of out of states might not consider, is that an 80k per year job in any city in Florida, even Miami, will yield a higher standard of living than a 140k job in NYC, Boston, or LA. The dollar goes a lot farther in the Sunshine state.

Actually, as a northerner, I am very interested in this. Not even with the money either. Beaches take the cake

Cupidity wrote:As a Florida resident, something I think a lot of out of states might not consider, is that an 80k per year job in any city in Florida, even Miami, will yield a higher standard of living than a 140k job in NYC, Boston, or LA. The dollar goes a lot farther in the Sunshine state.

Excellent point! I think this is one that not many people realize. Besides the basic differences in cost of living, Florida doesn't have anywhere near the amount of taxes that the Northeast does. 80K certainly is MORE than enough down here, unless you really want to live the high life.

I see no one has posted on this thread in awhile, so I hope you are still around to take questions. I am considering transferring to UF for my 2L year. My only reservation is that there seem to be few internship/externship opportunities available in Gainesville. While I have no doubt that UF is the best law school in Florida (and I attended there for undergrad), I am concerned about this one area. It seems like all of the judicial clerkships would be in Tallahassee and Orlando. If you are trying to do an internship and take classes at the same time, what do UF law students do? Thank you!